Bad With Phones, has released his debut mixtape Marinade, along with the video for his new single “Home.”’ Marinade is out today via Don’t Sleep/PIAS. Manny AKA: Bad With Phones is a man about town. An ex-hacker, photographer, space-enthusiast, and producer, there’s nothing deemed too big or small for him to sink his teeth into. Like many good stories, the project begins in a small black church.

Manny’s first attraction to music came after being drawn to the bass guitar, which he discovered through his pastor father’s church. He started playing in the church band where he would secretly play secular R&B riffs in the middle of church proceedings for his own amusement, sparking his rebellious counterculture spirit. Inspired by the likes of Bootsy Collins, with vocals that bring Andre 3000 to mind, Bad With Phones found inspiration from black artists who were celebrated for going against the grain.

Attending Westminster University with classmates Michael Kiwanuka and Paolo Nutini, he developed his knowledge, songwriting skills, and musical performance there. A stint in Berlin would later introduce him to the world of psychedelics, which became a source of spirituality and the foundations for his own music. Bad With Phones is signed to Don’t Sleep– a new London-based music venture with the mantra to support creators who are pushing culture forward– and Manny’s honest lyrics paired with his warm, intimate style are destined for great things.

A few years back Bad With Phones – Manny to his friends – stopped carrying a phone for six months, as a sort of social experiment. “I wanted to see why we all feel so obligated to own one,” he explains. This phone-free period ultimately inspired the musical pseudonym Manny operates under today, “going with the flow is boring,” he confirms, adding with a grin, “I like to poke holes.” Poking holes in perceived wisdom is what Manny does best. In a musical context, that means ricocheting between styles, conjuring inventive alter-egos and – quite literally – singing the praises of psychedelics, as per his playful debut mixtape Marinade. Outside of music, it’s the maxim by which he’s conducted his affairs since day one.

Manny on “Marinade:”

“Marinade is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a project filled with a combination of ingredients that magically blend together to leave a good taste on your ears and all our other sensory devices. I wanted to approach the project as strong as possible; every song needed to have its own identity, to stand alone but also feel coherent with one another. It was a challenge putting all the stuff I loved from the sounds I was listening to but we found a happy medium that clicked and I ran with it. It’s a musical reflection of my personal experiences, our human experience… you can find a little bit of everything in our sauce blend from funny, playful to braggadocious, numb, sentimental to sounds that make it seem like the bedroom walls are moaning.”